How do we burn calories?

Cognitive Acceleration

Put simply, cognitive acceleration moves learners from one stage of development (concrete thinking) to the next (formal operational thinking) quicker than the expected rate of development through the social construction of learning, cognitive challenge and thinking about thinking.

Cognitive Acceleration: background

-developed by researchers, Adey & Sheyer, at Kings College 1980-87

-CASE (Cognitive Acceleration in Science Education) extensively tested in trial schools over a period of time.

-1999 GCSE results showed a whole grade improvement in Science

-there were also similar improvements in Maths and English

-conclusion: improving thinking in one subject benefits learners in all subjects

-CAME, CATE and other words beginning with CA followed

Cognitive Acceleration in the Curriculum

Cognitive Acceleration (CA) lessons can…

-be stand alone lessons

-appear in a scheme of work

-be part of a smaller teaching sequence

Cognitive Acceleration in the Classroom

There are many ways to implement thinking skills in the classroom that have similar approaches. CA (Cognitive Acceleration) has two distinctive features:

-reasoning patterns

-teaching sequence

Cognitive Acceleration in English/Arts

Reasoning patterns:

-classification

-frames of reference

-symbolic representation

-critical reflection

-intention and causality

-narrative seriation

Other subjects use different reasoning patterns.

Cognitive Acceleration: teaching sequence

-concrete preparation: explanation of the topic

-social construction: discussion with others to establish understanding

-cognitive conflict: challenge to resolve a problem that requires a new way of thinking; understanding of topic altered to accommodate conflict

-metacognitive stage: explicit review of the thinking that has taken place

-bridging: using the same type of thinking in other contexts